A Letter of Endorsement: Dabbing

I will fully admit to the fact that I am a huge fan of pop culture trends, and I accept the fact that I am 19 going on 12. I will also admit that I cannot dance to save my life. But, there are five dance moves that I employ on a day-to-day basis: the whip, the Nae Nae, the one where you flip your hands quickly but I don’t know what it is called, charging it up and, most importantly, the dab.

Wikipedia defines the dab as “a dance move in which the dancer simultaneously drops the head while raising an arm and the elbow in a gesture that has been noted to resemble sneezing,” but really, it’s so much more than that. It’s a celebration, a greeting, a response, a dance move and a lifestyle. Truly.

Dabbing, while still a common, trendy dance move, holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. I was first introduced to the dab by the one and only Cam Newton, quarterback for the Carolina Panthers and the holder of the key to my heart. Upon his first celebratory dab during the 2015 season, Cam started a revolution in the city of Charlotte that began to spread across the country.

And why did this revolution sweep the nation, you ask? Because, as I said before, the dab is relevant anytime, anywhere. Score a running touchdown? Dab. Beat drops while dancing in a frat basement? Dab. Answer a question right in class when your prof thought you weren’t paying attention? Dab. Sink the last cup in pong? Dab. See your friend across the green? Dab. Walk into Late Night and they actually have Mac’n’Cheese bites? Dab. Need to sneeze? Dab. You really just can’t go wrong here.

The first thing you would probably notice about me is that I am tall, 6’2” to be exact. Don’t comment on it because I have probably heard it 500 times before it even became a flicker of a though in your mind. I stick out like a sore thumb to begin with, but throw in spastic limbs jutting out violently, and you literally can’t miss me. Shout out to whoever called me “dab girl” last year and everyone who has tagged me in Facebook memes over the last few months – I couldn’t have done it without you. I also would like to apologize for anyone that I have ever hit with a hand, elbow or other part of my arm. Dabbing is a dangerous game. Dance at your own risk.

Finally, I would like to explain the camaraderie that goes along with dabbing. There is no better feeling than hitting the dab with a friend or seeing someone you don’t know dab in response to you. Hype up your team by celebrating a dub with a dab. Greet your friends with a dab. Take a squad photo with everyone dabbing. The possibiLITies are endless and you will reap the rewards.